Peas In A Pod, Darling
by Luna Addictus
Summary: AU. Lady Mamori is part of the royalty, an aristocrat, and so is her younger brother, Young Prince Sena. However, things change as little Prince Sena decided to board the Devil Bats and become a pirate. Rated T for random swearing and curses. HiruMamo.
1. Her Circumstance

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**Title:** _Peas In A Pod, Darling_

**Rating:** _T_ (because of some random cursing and swearing)

**Genre: AU, **_General, Romance, Adventure_

**Pairings:** _HiruMamoAgon, SenaSuzu, JuumonjiOC, ShinWakanaTakamiSakuraba, and othersxothers_

**Summary:** _Lady__ Mamori is __par__t of the royalty, an aristocrat, and so is her younger brother, __Young __Prince __Sena. However, things change as little __Prince __Sena decided to board the Devil Bats and become a pirate. _

_**Warning/s**__: Major OOCs, and __well, PWP, I suppose. :)__ And oh, the names are arranged like this: Youichi Hiruma, given name first.__ Well, at least for the time being. __And oh, this is AU, just in case you'd ask how a pirate got an AK-47. XD._

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own __Eyeshield 21, nor its characters, not even the plot. _

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**Peas In A Pod, Darling**

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**Chapter 1**

**Her Circumstance**

_Kanojo No Jijyou_

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The loud rolling waves crashed on the steep of the cliff, the morning breeze flitted between the spaces of the windows and gave the soundly asleep Lady of the Court a cool peck on the cheek. Another blow from the sea rattled the mahogany windowpane, as if trying to wake the one they just kissed. However, it did not seem to work, as the said Lady pulled up her woolen blanket over her head; her not being able to wake up immediately was not only was she a deep sleeper, but also because of the softness and comfort that the bed was giving her.

That comfort she was experiencing though was also short-lived.

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

"Mmmm…" she grumbled, rolling to her side.

TAP. TAP. TAP.

She instinctively pulled her pillow and covered her head, "Uggghhh… stop it… can't… sleep…"

**TAP! TAP! TAP!**

The rapping on the beautifully sculpted mahogany door continued as the Lady continued her sleep. That too seemed to end soon, as her chamberlain, Kohane Wakana, continued to rap on her room's door. The Lady rolled on the other side, as she tried to keep herself from fully waking up; she was not exactly looking forward to this day. After all, who in Pete's Sake would actually want…

"Lady Mamori!" Mademoiselle Wakana said, stopping her assault on the door, "Lady Mamori, please! Lord Shouji is fuming, my Lady!"

Lady Mamori let out an exasperated sigh. She wanted to curse the Heavens, however, she was raised among the nobility, and she had found cursing, swearing, and such profanity disgusting to the ears. It would be inelegant and highly disapproving if she would.

"Yes, coming, coming…" she muttered, almost a whisper, as she disdainfully got out of her bed. It seemed, though, that Mademoiselle Wakana had heard her for the rapping had stopped. She raised her brow as she walked to the door.

Something was up, or His Majesty would not have called for her. She had a very bad feeling about what her Father was going to tell her, but she had to cope up with it for that was what expected of her. She was, after all, the eldest daughter of the Duke of Oujou.

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_Knock. Knock. _

"Enter," the Court's Chancellor, Ichirou Takami said. Or at least from the voice, it seemed like it was Lord Takami.

The doors opened and Lady Mamori, who was now clad in a cream and white sacque (1). An equally black wide-brimmed plumed hat rested on her hair, which was tied into a tight bun. A classic look of women part of the nobility…

"Ah, as expected from the Lady of the Court!" one of the nobles commented; "Fitting for a Lady indeed!" another said. Same thing, same line everyday that she would come by His Majesty's room.

"Good morning, Your Majesty," Lady Mamori greeted her father with proper courtesy and curtsey, after which, she turned to the other nobilities who were present at that hall, "Thank you for the wonderful opinion of my attire. It is all thanks to His Majesty, as he was the one who had given me the tutors."

"Well, as expected from the only Lady who had become an Ambassador to the East!" an elderly ambassador raised his goblet for her, "Not to mention, she was only sixteen when she entered!"

Mamori nodded curtly towards the man's direction. He was part of the International Confederation of Ambassadors, and in actuality, she could almost refer to him as her mentor in the ways of diplomacy.

"Well, my Princess," said Lord Shouji, "I do suppose you know why we are gathered here."

Mamori kept herself from raising a brow. Of course she knew, "Yes, Your Majesty. I was informed of the… _rendezvous_ two days before, and the week before too."

"I am very much pleased that the Lady of the Court did not see jeopardy in the arrangement," an old man said. Lady Mamori immediately recognized him. She had heard about him and his Kingdom's exploits against those formidable pirates, he was General Sendou Dasumito. Beside the old General was three young men, a pair of twins and a younger boy. They seemed to be part of the Shinryuji Navy Fleet from what she could gather from their uniforms.

"Isn't that just amazing, our kingdom and yours, would finally be united after this! And oh! That chamberlain is so cute! And that girl too-" the younger man said. One of the twins reprimanded him, "That is enough, Ikkyu."

"I knew I shouldn't have separated the men from women…" General Dasumito shook his head. The other twin gave an irritating sneer at her, "And such nice curves…"

Lady Mamori had kept her temper on check, but she cannot keep her thoughts from screaming, '_How dare he! __Talking about __me__ in such a shameful manner!__ If it had not only because of __His__ Majesty's request…!_'

Lord Takami coughed, taking the other twin's attention, "Lady Mamori, he is one of the Admiral's sons, the newly ranked Commodore Agon, and he will be the one you will…" he pointed to the other twin, the one who had commented about her figure.

Lady Mamori's eyes grew wide as she turned to the Chancellor, '_NO!_'

Lord Takami avoided her eyes, "… be engaged to, and after your… wedding our Kingdom and Theirs will become one."

'_No…_' she thought, '_No… that can't be true! His Majesty will not allow such…_' she turned to her Father, who seemed to be rather pleased with things, '_… Father…_'

A loud burst of applause and tinkling of glasses erupted from the nobility, after Lord Takami had made the announcement. After all, the Kingdom of Oujou was known for its defense on Land while the Kingdom of Shinryuji was famous for their voyages against the ferocious devils of the sea. The unity of arms that the marriage of the Prince and Princess of the Kingdoms would make such an impact in the alliance of Kingdoms. No one noticed that the Lady paled, except those who knew her personally.

"Lady Mamori…" Mademoiselle Wakana whispered, looking worried at her Lady. She glanced at Lord Takami, who like what he did to Lady Mamori, looked away. She felt a nudge on her side and looked up. It was Prince Haruto Sakuraba, Lady Mamori's older brother.

"What the hell happened here…?" he asked. Mademoiselle Wakana answered with all politeness, "My Lady, Your Majesty's younger sister, has been engaged with Commodore Agon of the Shinryuji."

"WHAT?" Prince Sakuraba's mouth gaped open, "Surely Father wouldn't want that to happen!"

"But His Majesty approved." It was Sir Seijuro Shin, one of the leading Knights of the Kingdom, "We had a meeting a week before, and His Majesty looked rather excited."

"Did he really…?" asked Mademoiselle Wakana. Sir Shin nodded, "However, it seemed like it was rather forced."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Prince Sakuraba.

"The muscles of his face seemed to contract more than usual," Sir Shin answered with all due seriousness.

'_T__he __movement of His Majesty's muscles_' Prince Sakuraba immediately thought. Just then, he remembered something, or rather someone, "Wait, have you seen my little brother?"

"You mean…? Oh no, I haven't seen him for a while," Mademoiselle Wakana replied meekly. As Prince Sakuraba was about to ask Sir Shin if he had, a small figure walked forward amongst the nobility.

He was shorter than those of his age, and unlike the other members of the nobility, the young boy seemed not to have any special endowment. A small voice escaped his lips, "Is that… what you really want… Mamori-neechan?"

Murmurs and whispers imploded in the hall. He had just called her "Mamori-neechan"! The young boy was eyed by the nobility with raised brows, while his Father asked for an asipirin.

"Little Sena…" Lady Mamori muttered. Out of her 17 brothers and sisters, Little Sena was her favorite. He knew her from inside out, and she as well. He was like her son. And then it hit her. He just called her "Mamori-neechan"! She gave him a questioning look, "Little Sena! Who taught you that rude language?"

"That… well, is not the question, right?" he replied with a hunched back and his voice quivering, "I mean, getting married… I'm sure Mamori-neechan wouldn't like that-"

"Please, stop calling me like that, Little Sena…" Lady Mamori muttered calmly as she walked to her little brother, "Didn't we tell you already, you're already sixteen, you should know the rules, Little Sena."

"B-but… you _don't_ want to get married…" Little Sena mumbled, looking a little down. "Mamo… Lady Mamori… you… er…"

Lady Mamori smiled at her younger brother and ruffled his hair, "It's fine, Little Sena," She turned to the nobility, "I apologize for my younger brother's language. He's still a kid."

"Well, if Lady Mamori says so, then it must be true," A fellow nobleman commented, followed by others' comments. Lady Mamori looked at her brother, who looked even more down. She felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh! Big brother!" she exclaimed, "Since when…?"

"Just today," He smiled. Lady Mamori must admit, her beloved brother really was that handsome, "Do you have a minute or two, My Princess?"

"Should I bring Little Sena too?" she asked. Prince Sakuraba nodded, "That would be better."

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The three royal siblings walked together to the castle's porch, Lady Mamori walking hand-in-hand with Little Sena, and Prince Sakuraba holding Lady Mamori's hand. They sat on the circular chairs on the porch, and Prince Sakuraba's expression stoned.

"My Princess, do you really _want_ to get married?" he asked her. Lady Mamori sighed, "Do I have to answer your question, when you more or less already know what my answer is?"

"Then why did you not ask His Majesty to reconsider his…?"

"I know what is happening on the sea, My Prince," Lady Mamori cut him off, "Those pirates-", Little Sena flinched, "-had been ransacking our ships lately, and our stock of food and clothing had decreased in such an alarming rate. I am not such of a spoilt and selfish Lady. I cannot stand children starving and dying… even more so that I cannot do anything about it."

"But there are other ways, My Princess!" Prince Sakuraba argued, "We could try anything! Anything!"

"But My Prince, you too, have married for the Kingdom, right?"

"_That_ is a different matter," he snapped back. "I was a Knight before I was a Prince, I will be willing to lose… love for the sake of the Kingdom. However, you, My Beloved Sister, need not to gamble your life with…" he glared at Commodore Agon, "…_ him_. I believe you are aware of his… other voyages."

"His voyages with his women?" asked Little Sena. Lady Mamori and Prince Sakuraba glared at him, "Sorry."

Prince Sakuraba sighed, "Well, technically, Little Sena _is_ right… how did you know about it anyway?"

"… Well, a friend of mine… The Commodore had taken fancy of her. She came back crying though," Little Sena shrugged. "We had no idea what had gotten into her, although ever since, we had never seen even a single strand of her hair."

Little Sena began to fiddle with his little feet. He looked tired somewhat, but whatever it was, it must have been taking a lot of his time.

Lady Mamori straightened up, "I have no intention in being another person's belonging, My Prince. You do not have to worry about me. After all, I am a very capable woman." She smiled. Prince Sakuraba held her hand, "I'm just worried about you, My Lady. It is not about capability or such, I believe you could defend yourself, however… the Commodore is not an ordinary person, you do know that, don't you?"

"This is my first time meeting him, so with all due respect, I have no idea of who the man is," answered Lady Mamori, "He may very well be a beast with a good heart… maybe."

"Are you sure you will not regret this decision, My Lady?" asked Prince Sakuraba, "If you have doubts-"

Little Sena looked at them with furrowed brows, as if not understanding a single word they were uttering. It did not surprise Lady Mamori, as Little Sena was not exceptionally bright like her or the Chancellor.

"Of course I have my doubts, My Prince," replied Lady Mamori, "However, when my duty to the Kingdom calls… how could I resist it?"

"If you truly want something that is the only time you do not have doubts, Mamori," Prince Sakuraba squeezed his sister's hand, "I had gone past that, and it was a terrifying phase in my life as a Knight… but I place my trust in you… that you do know what you are doing."

"Brother," Lady Mamori muttered, "Of course I do."

Prince Sakuraba pulled his sister towards him, and embraced her. He kissed her forehead, and Little Sena's too.

"I must be going then," he said. Lady Mamori gave him a inquiring look, while Little Sena a quizzical one. He smiled at both of them, "I do have my family waiting for me, you know. And oh, our Kingdom will be hosting a Grand Ball the day after tomorrow, would you care to join?"

Lady Mamori and Little Sena looked at each other; the little boy stammered his positive answer, while their sister smiled, pleased, "I haven't been out for a while."

"Then I will be waiting for you two, I'm sure His Majesty won't be coming, but at least you two…" he smiled.

"S-see you, Big Brother," Said Little Sena meekly. Prince Sakuraba nodded as he disheveled Little Sena's already messed up hair.

"I will be seeing you real soon, My Prince," Lady Mamori said with a hug. She held tight to her brother, and then let go.

Lady Mamori let out a rather incensed sigh. She was planning to have a simple tea party with Misses Sara and Ami(2), and she had to cancel that, or she wouldn't be able to go to her brother's ball.

"Is Lady Mamori all right?" asked Little Sena, looking a little worried for his older sister. Lady Mamori smiled for him, "Of course. Why shouldn't I?"

"W-well," Little Sena scratched his cheek, "I-I don't know… I j-just had a feeling."

"No need to worry. I am fine," She patted his windswept hair, "You should go and rest now, Little Sena. Staying up late wouldn't do you any good, and be sure that you eat before you go to bed, alright?"

"Hiiieee…"

"No buts," she placed her hands on her hips, "And, let's get inside, it's getting too cold out here, you might get influenza or such."

Little Sena nodded. He watched his older sister smile and greet their visitors. He just hoped she wouldn't try to kill him once they board the ship.

Hopefully.

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Along the Amefuto Sea, a rather ragged looking ship stayed afloat amongst the planks and splintered woods. Three shadowy figures were on deck. A devious smirk was plastered on one of their faces as he read a small invitation for the ship they had just hijacked.

"Kekekeke… interesting, isn't it, fucking fatty? A ball… Kekeke… I could now see fucking heaps of loot! Kekekeke!" the man grinned evilly and swung an AK-47 over his shoulder. The largest among them sighed, "Some people just do terrible things…" (3)

A terrifying howl echoed above the sea as the demon shot another round of bullets in the air.

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A/N: Hiya all! It's me… again, trying to make another fic. And no, it's not that I'm abandoning "Where My Heart Is"… it's just that it's a little frustrating. That's all. LOL. XD. And oh, this is most especially influenced and inspired by **Pirates of the Carribean**. See title. :) And oh, I got the idea for the Chapter title from "Kareshi Kanojo No Jijyou". :) So if ever I got the meaning wrong, that's my answer. LOL. XD.

(1)Sacque – those really posh gowns that Europeans around the 1400's wore.

(2)Sara and Ami – I'm not sure on the names of Mamori's friends, so these may be wrong. LULZ.

(3)This was someone(Kurita)'s line in ES 21, 1st Down. Go figure.

OOC? Please read and review! It helps the author, y'know. XD


	2. A Night To Remember

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A/N: YA! Ahoy mateys! (cough) Sorry for the disappointment in the first chappie. X( X( Sorry! (yeah, I know, OOC.)

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**Chapter 2**

**A Night To Remember**

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It was dawn and wisps of light had already passed through the linen curtains of her room. She rolled on her tummy and threw a pillow over her head.

"It's morning already…" Mamori muttered silently as she turned her attention to the window.

She and her little brother, Little Lord Sena, had arrived yesterday on the docks of Jerry Pro Kingdom, safe and sound; Prince Sakuraba looked a little pale though, as they had received information that a fleet of ships were wiped out by pirates. Everything seemed so well, until last night… Two days ago, she was confident that she would join the ball, but now, she was sure she would be a laughing stock in the ball.

Really now, how stupid could she get? Tripping over and getting her ankle sprained! By a snail, nonetheless! Why? Why a snail of all things?

Ridiculous! It was simply ridiculous!

A soft rapping of the door took Lady Mamori's attention away from her equally ridiculous thoughts. It was probably her chamberlain in this… extravagant castle.

"My Lady, are you awake?"

Lady Mamori sat upright on the bed, "Yes."

"We have your clothes washed and ironed, My Lady," replied the chamberlain, "Shall we wash-"

"No, it's fine," said Lady Mamori, "I can manage."

"But, My Lady," the chamberlain protested, "This is how we do things here. Our Kingdom's rules says that we, servants, should be the ones who bathe and clothe the Ladies of the Court. We are also instructed to put make up on you, My Lady, for you have a pictorial with the Royale Familiae."

Lady Mamori coughed, "Do we really _have_ to take pictures?"

The chamberlain continued, "Our Kingdom's rules also reinforces that if ever an aristocrat pays the Kingdom, the aristocrat should have memorabilia of his stay here in Jerry Pro Kingdom. With a special edition of His Majesty's Newest Photo Album, '_The Life and Times of The Prince'_of course."

'_It sounds so much of an advertisement,_' Lady Mamori shook her head. Surely, who, would make such rules?

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Her question had an instant answer as she descended to the Royale Familiae Hall, where she was summoned… to have a pictorial. Almost dragging her long gown and wincing with pain from her ankle, Lady Mamori arrived at the location only to be surprised at the unbelievable number of… fangirls squealing.

"W-what the…?!" she gaped at the scene, forgetting that she had a sprain.

A hundred – no more than that – pictures of her older brother, plastered on every wall, not a single space was wasted. There were pictures of him walking along the beach in his Glorious beauty, another was him on the tower with the wind playing with his crisp brown hair, and there was an _enormous_ banner of the Prince in his Royal attire. Ladies of the Nobilities, peasants, and servants alike literally drooled all over the place.

"HHiiieeeee?!" A surprised gasp caught Lady Mamori's attention. It was Little Sena, his jaws almost on the floor, "Why's there a LOT of pictures of big brother?!"

"I have no idea," Lady Mamori replied, feeling like she was going to have headaches. She asked, "So did they tell you to go to the Royal Hall too?"

Little Sena nodded, "Oh yeah… where's the Royal Hall, Mamo… Lady Mamori?"

Lady Mamori sighed, "_This_ is the Royal Hall."

"S-sure doesn't look like it…" Little Sena commented quietly.

"Now, now, My Prince!" a man's voice echoed in the Halls, and he unwittingly took the siblings' attention. He was man clothed with the cloak made of the highest quality silk, his crown studded with enormous gems, and numerous golden rings with different jewels ornamented his skeletal fingers… and when he grinned, a single gold tooth shone. Lady Mamori and Little Sena only had one thing in mind: he was, in no doubt, the King of the Jerry Pro Kingdom, King Ito Miracle. And the person she highly suspected of all these pictorials.

King Miracle was handing out autographed photo albums of the Prince, "Really now, Prince Sakuraba! Smile! They're your fans!"

Prince Sakuraba frowned. Handing out photo albums was not his cup of tea, especially in front of his siblings… wait! His siblings?! The Prince turned his head to his siblings' direction, his head almost snapping off his body. He felt his jaws drop as he watched their highly doubtful faces.

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"So this is what you've been doing all these time, My Prince?" asked Lady Mamori, her ankle massaged by one of the Royal Healers, "_Posing?_"

Prince Sakuraba sighed as he sat beside his sister, "Well it's not really a bad thing, My Lady… a little embarrassing, yes, but… I was able to save our Kingdom through this."

She shook her head, "And you say that I should do something I want, when you're stuck here _posing_."

"That's why… I don't want you to do the same mistake as I did-"

"Are you saying that saving the Kingdom is a mistake?" asked his sister.

"Well, it will only be a mistake if a person regrets his decision, so yes… me being here is a mistake that I had committed," replied Prince Sakuraba, "Are you really sure that you want to get married?"

"Well, you did get married this year, didn't you? And we're of the same age, as far as I remember," answered Lady Mamori.

Prince Sakuraba retorted, "But I'm a guy. You, on the other hand, is-"

"A girl?" asked Lady Mamori, "What difference does it make? Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I couldn't take care-"

"Still," said Prince Sakuraba, "You're still a girl, with a sprained ankle."

Lady Mamori rolled her eyes, "You're unfair… just because I'm a girl…"

"Well, say, if a strong Navy officer would suddenly appear and say that he's little Sena, what will you do?" asked Prince Sakuraba.

Lady Mamori huffed, "Navy? Navy?! But Little Sena is a weak and fragile child! I would never allow him to be forced into such Spartan ways!"

"See? That's what I meant," Prince Sakuraba calmed his little sister down, "It's the same with you, My Princess." Lady Mamori pouted. The last person she wanted to think poorly of her was her own family. Prince Sakuraba then looked like he just remembered something, "Oh, many nobles will be attending the ball tonight, I hope you enjoy yourself."

"With your fangirls squealing all over the place?" teased Lady Mamori. Prince Sakuraba paled.

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"Oohh… so many people!" Little Lord Sena exclaimed as he peeked.

It was his first time to attend a ball. He was wearing a red justaucorps on his upper body, brown knee-length breeches could be seen beneath the black upper garment, and their Kingdom's Royal crest pinned on his white cross belt. Lady Mamori was also elegantly dressed, although not as extravagant as she would usually wear; she was dressed with a simple high-waisted periwinkle blue gown, and a white silken robe covered her body. Thankfully, her sprain has healed a bit, and it didn't hurt as much as it hurt earlier that day.

"You look wonderful, My Little Lord Sena!" Lady Mamori curtsied, gaining a flustered look from her brother, "Hm… I don't know though, it seemed like you have forgotten something…"

"I haven't forgotten anything… I think," protested Little Sena, "Lemme see… look, I brought with me… my gloves! And I have my underwear on too!"

"How about your handkerchief?" asked Lady Mamori, raising a brow. The small Prince rummaged his pockets, only to find none. She smiled kindly at him, and tucked a white handkerchief inside his justaucorps' pocket, "Now you have one."

"Thanks… Mamo-nee…" he muttered.

"I told you not to use that language, Little Sena," muttered Lady Mamori, "That's pirate language. I was only able to defend you effectively last time because we were in our own Kingdom… but don't worry, if things come to worst, I'll still protect you." She smiled at him and pushed him lightly on the back, "Now enough about that, there's quite a gathering inside! Why don't we go inside? You might meet friends along the way!"

"I have friends!" replied Little Sena, "I think."

Lady Mamori shook her head, "You can't call them 'friends', really. You're the Duke's son, and they're taking advantage that you're kind!" she put her hands on her hips, "Besides, you should meddle with the nobility too, as I've only seen you being ordered around by those… delinquents."

Little Sena nodded. Lady Mamori took a good look at him, and now knew what was missing. Luckily, she had an extra one for her little brother.

"You forgot your carnivale mask, My Little Prince," said Mamori as she handed the mask to Little Sena. She too wore hers just before they entered the Hall. She tapped her brother's shoulder, "Do you want to stay with me all night?"

Little Sena shook his head vigorously.

She smiled at him, "Well, I wanted to stay with you… but if you want to find some friends, you can always call me. Oh yeah, here," she handed him something.

"What's this? It looks like a phone but…"

"Well, it's a mobile phone made by the Amino Technology Company. I have mine here since I've been leaving the castle. Brother handed this to me, as he will be busy for the rest of the evening, and you might get into some sticky situation, you know, just incase you need my help." She pointed to the number '1', "If you want to contact me, just press this one, okay?"

Little Sena nodded, and with an amazing speed, he ran.

"Since when did Little Sena run so fast?" she wondered. But the thought was immediately pushed back, as she was instantaneously greeted by some of the nobilities, asking her of the things she planned and, to her irritation, her engagement to Commodore Agon.

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A handsome carriage pulled over before the castle a little tad late for the party. One by one, three figures exited their transport. An enormous man, his head shaped like a chestnut, was the first to leave the carriage; he looked kind and a little nervous, his mask almost falling off his round face. The second one, even odder than the previous one, was a dog… in a tuxedo… walking on its hind legs. The last one was a man with an incredible evil aura, his thin and lanky legs strode as he left the carriage, his spiky shocking blond hair an obvious eyesore and his elf-like ears stuck out like a sore thumb. As he exited, the coach whipped the horses almost immediately with a horrorstruck expression, as the said man with an evil aura closed a small black book in his one hand, "The Devil's Handbook", it said on the cover. Slipping it inside his pocket, he cackled while the bipedal dog-in-a-tux growled like there was no tomorrow.

"Are you sure we're really going inside?" asked the huge man. The spiked man replied, "Of course, you fucking fatty. How the fuck do you think we could get some information on the next fucking fleet?"

"W-well… I thought that it was kind of strange," said the huge man, "You're not the kind of person who'd like to go to parties, Hiruma."

The man called Hiruma grinned, "Kekeke, and that's exactly why we're going."

"B-but, Hiruma… there's a lot of Navy officers inside…" the huge man began biting his nails, "W-what if we get caught?"

"Easy," Hiruma pulled out an AK-47 out of nowhere, "If that fucking happens, we'll fuck up this castle, fucking fatty."

Hiruma opened the invitation. Nothing was changed, except for the three names on the end of the letter, it now read: To Lord _Ichiyou Mahiru_, Lord _Kanryou Tariku_, and _Lord Cerberus_.

"Do we really need to change our names, Hiruma?" asked the huge man.

Hiruma sneered, "Of course, fucking fatty. Are you saying we'd go inside an say, '_Good eve__ you fucking bastards! I'm Hiruma, Captain of the Devil Bats, and this is my First Mate, Kurita!_'?"

"B-but…"

Hiruma loaded his AK-47 and began shooting rounds at Kurita's feet, "You do fucking know that we have those goddamned fucking bounties on our fucking heads, you fucking fatty! Everyone fucking knows who the fuck we are!"

Cerberus roared. A nearby bush wiggled. Hiruma raised a thin brow. No fucking bushes wiggles without anything inside it. He reloaded his AK-47 and shot a bullet at it. A small figure jumped out of the bushes.

"Kekeke… what do we fucking have here," a demonic grin spread on Hiruma's face. The small figure was so scared that there was only one coherent word that he had been able to think of.

"Hiiieeeee?!"

Yep. Very coherent indeed. (1)

The man with the demonic smile pointed the AK-47, now accompanied with an M16A1, "Die, fucking bastard."

"Hiieieeee!! Please don't!" the small figure whimpered, "I-I have no intention of handing you to the Officers… Hiruma-san! Kurita-san!"

Hiruma and Kurita exchanged looks, while Cerberus held a fork and a knife with his forelegs, as if getting ready for the kill.

Kurita asked, "You… speak pirate language?"

"H-hai…" the small boy replied, "I… I'm-"

"Prince Sena Kobayakawa, seventh son of the Duke of Oujou Kingdom. A gofer," Hiruma said, reading the small black book that he slipped inside his pocket earlier. Kurita looked at Hiruma with a confused expression, shared by Little Sena.

"Hiiee? How did you-" he asked. The Devil's Handbook, which was infamous for containing every single horrendous secrets of people, was insight. Little Sena then silenced. He'd rather not know.

**"**But, why did you hide there?" asked Kurita. Little Sena replied as he scratched the back of his head, "W-well… er… I was being chased… hehehe…"

Hiruma looked dubious, his brow arching, "And how are we fucking supposed to trust what you're fucking saying?"

Little Sena gulped, "Uhm… er…"

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A chill went up Lady Mamori's spine and she began to worry. She was not the type of person who would believe in superstitions and the likes, however, for some odd reason, she felt worried. She had not seen her little brother since the party started, and it was unnerving her. Little Sena, for her, was like a fragile and expensive vase. If something bad had happened to her little brother… she will not forgive the person who had hurt him!

To her surprise, and relief, Little Sena came huffing and puffing. It seemed like he had been running errands again.

"My Little Sena," said Lady Mamori, patting Sena on the shoulders. Little Sena looked a little surprised, but he smiled. She asked him, "Are you alright? You look beat."

Little Sena nodded, "I'm fine, Mamo-nee… I mean, Lady Mamori."

"Didn't I tell you to quit that pirate act?" said Lady Mamori, "People might hear you and think you're a pirate!"

Little Sena frowned a bit, but to Lady Mamori's surprise, he smiled at her, "Lady Mamori…"

"Yes?" she asked.

He said, "I love you."

"Eeehhh?!" Lady Mamori gaped at him. Now that she did not expect him to say. They were siblings for goodness' sake!

"N-no… not like that!" Little Sena shook his head vigorously, "I mean, I love you because you're my sister!"

Lady Mamori gave a relieved sigh, "Don't do that again, all right? You surprised me."

Little Sena hunched his back a little, and gave a genuine smile that Lady Mamori hadn't seen long since they were taken to the castle.

"Uhm… see you, Lady Mamori." He muttered silently, and then, all of a sudden, Little Sena dashed. For some odd reason, Lady Mamori felt like her little brother was going… to some far away place.

"Kekeke," an odd voice took her attention. She looked to her left, a masked man, his spiky blonde hair all over the place, grinned at her, "So it's true, the fucking ambassador _everyone_'s talking about is attending a ball."

'_What a rude man,_' Lady Mamori cringed. It was hate at first sight, even though she couldn't see all of his face, she just knew it. She straightened up her back, "No reason to talk to me like that, _sir_."

"Kekeke," his grin even grew wider, "Still feisty as ever, fucking ambassador."

Lady Mamori narrowed her eyes. She knew that horrible voice, and that impossible way of talking back to her… she could remember it, she just could not point her finger as to who he was. For some odd reason, the current song that the orchestra had been playing changed.

'_A… waltz?_' she thought.

The rude man held out his hand, his irritatingly toothy grin still on his face, "May I have this fucking dance with you?"

"I'm sorry, but I do not dance with people who don't have any sense of respect," she snapped at him. Although it was half a lie, as she actually dreaded dancing this night. Although the pain was no longer there, she might trip or something again.

She expected his grin to be lopsided any moment, but to her surprise, his grin grew even wider, if it was even possible.

"Then would you rather talk about your fucking engagement with an even more spiteful person, that fucking dread… to them?" he pointed at a group of ladies and gentlemen, gossiping and giving her anxious looks.

"Nice try," She raised a brow at him, "However wouldn't my dancing with another man be something shameful? And please don't insult my future husband."

"First point taken," the masked man replied. Lady Mamori smiled, at last, she had shut the annoying man's potty mouth. However, before she could leave the man's side, he told her, "Did you know you're such a bothersome person, fucking ambassador?"

"Pardon?" Lady Mamori turned her head at the mysterious man, "Bothersome? You've been calling me names and kept on being rude to me since you've talked to me and now you're telling me that I'm such a bothersome person?"

"Kekeke," he cackled, "Of course."

"Hmph!" she turned on her heels, a fresh throbbing vein on her temples. Such an annoying man! She was never _EVER_ going to speak with him again!

"See you soon, fucking ambassador," she head him say as he walked past her. She raised a brow at his comment. He was a good ten feet away from her as he took off his mask, and pulled out an M90 out of nowhere. He laughed, "Kekekekeke!"

**Bang! Bang! Bang!**

"Aaahhhhh!" one of the Ladies screamed her tonsils out, and pointed at the man with elf-like ears, "IT'S _HIIIMMMMMMM_!"

"AAHHHHHHHHH!" the people, who comprised of nobles who only relied on with their armies and such, screamed as the demon pulled out more armaments from God-knows-where.

Things happened so fast, the chandeliers blew up, darkness enveloped the whole Hall, there were screams and shrieks everywhere, plates crashing, glasses breaking, gunshots, and other things that Lady Mamori couldn't take note of. She felt her way among the stampede, she was being swept with the panicking people, but she knew she could not just stay in one place. She was scared, yes, but more than her life, she was worried about her brothers, Prince Sakuraba and Little Sena.

"Prince! Prince Sakuraba! Little Sena!" she shouted amidst the crowd, her voice seemingly small amongst the voices that erupted everywhere. Her heart was pounding, hard. She felt like she was going to die of worry!

She felt someone hold her hand, she looked up. It was her brother, Prince Sakuraba.

"Lady Mamori!" he exclaimed, hugging her tightly, "Thank goodness I've found you! Where's Little Sena?"

"Oh, Prince!" she sobbed, "Thank the Heavens!"

"Stay here, I'll look for Little Sena," said Prince Sakuraba, his voice almost scared. Lady Mamori shook her head, "NO! I'll look for him too!"

"You can't!" Prince Sakuraba lashed out, holding her hand, "We're dealing with pirates. _Real p__irates_. I can't just let you – hey!" His sister however, was stubborn. Lady Mamori broke away from his grasp, and ran, "Mamori!"

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Four figures rushed out of the castle, a tall lanky man, a huge chestnut headed guy, a skinny boy, and a ferocious dog. Little Sena was one of them, although his face was covered with what seemed to be a thief scarf with an eye shield. Strange. Hiruma then led the other three near their goal, the Mars fountain, reloading his Mossberg every minute as he shot the guards.

"Hhiiieee?! Hiruma-san!" Little Sena exclaimed, his voice muffled by the scarf, "You're shooting them?"

"Of course, you fucking shrimp!" Hiruma shouted, "Who do you think I am? A fucking ambassador of peace?"

"Well, no… but…"

"If you're going to complain again, I'm going to bust that fucking brains of yours out," Hiruma pointed at Little Sena's head. Another guard got in their way, and without looking, Hiruma shot him on both arms, making the guard useless, "Hurry up you fucking bastards!"

"Hi-Hiruma!" Kurita exclaimed, pointing at a group of guards in front of them. Hiruma spat, and then an idea came. A demonic grin spread on his face and took out doggy biscuits from his pocket, "CERBERUS!"

With that, the doggy biscuits were flung into the air, and Cerberus' nose picked up the "delicious smell"; with an amazing accuracy, the doggy biscuits went inside the guards' back pockets. The demon dog from hell licked its mouth, salivating from the smell of its food, while the guards were rendered useless as they paled at the sight of Cerberus.

"RRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!" Cerberus howled as he chased the guards away from the fountain.

[insert Kurita and Sena sweat-drop here

"Ehhh… Hiruma-san?" asked Little Sena, "The port is 5 kilometers away from here…"

Hiruma grinned at him, "Who said we'll sail this night?"

"Then how…?"

"Sena-kun will know about it when we go to the Mars Fountain!" Kurita said, smiling.

Little Sena gave a confused look at the two, and Cerberus had caught up with them. They arrived at the goal and Little Sena's jaws dropped to the ground. He turned his head to Hiruma, who only gave a sadistic grin, and then to Kurita, who nodded meekly.

"Gaudy, isn't it?" sneered Hiruma, swinging his Mossberg over his shoulder. Kurita said, "Hot air balloons aren't common for pirates."

"Get your fucking asses inside the goddamned balloon, fucking bastards," Hiruma said, as more guards approached the fountain.

"Here, Sena-kun," said Kurita, patting the little boy's shoulder and handing him a piece of rope.

Little Sena looked at Kurita just before he jumped on the basket, "B-but, how about Hiruma-san?"

"Hiruma will be fine," Kurita answered as he followed the Little Sena, "He always knows what to do."

"Always?"

"Yes!"

"Fucking fatty! Get that damned fire burning already!" Hiruma shouted, which Kurita gladly complied to. Little Sena watched the two pirates. He thought there were three members of the Devil Bat Pirates, but he didn't know that one of them were a dog. Odd.

Hiruma grinned like he's never grinned before, his equally demonic dog roaring right behind him. Many of the soldiers stopped on their tracks, they were afraid of the devious pirate and his dog, they had heard of the Devil Bat Pirates' escapades and exploits. However, it was not the real reason why they paled at his sight, not able to do anything as the balloon expanded and began to lift in the air.

He had waited for this moment, there was a reason for him not killing these people when he could do so, with flair, but for the moment, he did not need any ammunition, or bullets for them. All the demon had to do was to open his "Devil's Handbook" in front of the guards.

"Kekekeke," Hiruma cackled once more, as he casually strode to the hot air balloon. Cerberus had already gone inside the transport.

However, just before Hiruma jumped inside the basket, a knife whizzed through the air and hit him on the arm. It bled.

"Who the fuck-" Hiruma turned around, only to see an aristocrat, more importantly, a _girl_ glared at him. She was the girl he talked to earlier, he was sure of it. Although she no longer had her mask, the dress, the hair, everything was the same. He glared back at her.

"Why didn't you arrest this man?" she asked the guards, who only looked away from her, "Don't tell me he has all of you under his pinky finger?"

"Damn right, fucking ambassador," Hiruma grinned although his arm hadn't stopped bleeding. She had quite an eye for an aristocrat. "Why, are you going call for your fucking back-ups?"

"Mamori-neechan!" Little Sena whispered as he heard his sister's voice. Kurita looked at the newbie, his brows furrowed, "B-but, Sena-kun…"

"Hiruma-san won't kill her, right? Right, Kurita-san?" asked Little Sena, looking worried. The kind pirate's brows furrowed even further, as he didn't know what to say.

"Lady Mamori Anezaki of Oujou Kingdom, eldest daughter of Duke Shouji, and member of the Ambassadors to the East," his evil grin spread from ear to ear. Lady Mamori flustered as she recognized the "Devil's Handbook". She had heard of that evil notebook that had all embarrassing information about all the people across the seven oceans, and she certainly didn't expect that it will be used against her, "Oh? Is all of these true?"

Lady Mamori flustered even more, even though Hiruma hadn't said anything. His facial expressions were convincing enough… however, the girl took a deep breath and brought out her secret weapon.

Hiruma lifted a brow at the sight. An aristocrat and a… broom. He was damned sure that it wasn't April 1st.

"You're not going to get away with this, pirate," Lady Mamori muttered, although her face was still flustering.

"Kekeke," Hiruma cackled again, as he found the scene amusing. It was probably the first time that he had met a girl like her, "Fucking ambassador, do you know who you're fucking with?"

"I'm not blind," she glared at him, "Where's my brother?"

Hiruma raised a brow, "What the fuck are you talking about, fucking ambassador?"

"Where's my brother? You kidnapped him, didn't you? Why else would my brother be missing if you didn't kidnapped him?" she glared at him.

"Don't jump into some fucking conclusions, fucking ambassador," he sneered, "And why the fuck should I take a fucking shrimp with me?"

"… I… don't know," she answered, "B-but! I know you took him! You can take all the riches in the Kingdom, but I won't let you touch my brother!"

She threw a broom at him, which he dodged sneering at her. Little Sena and Kurita, and probably all the guards there, had their jaws on the ground as she brought out more brooms and Hiruma brought out more guns and weapons.

Hiruma watched the hot air balloon from the corner of his eyes. It took him one look to know that it was ready for flight. He grinned, taking Lady Mamori's attention.

"Kekeke," he laughed as he took out eight smoke bombs, "I hope we see won't see each other again, fucking ambassador."

He threw them on the ground, and within seconds smoke surrounded the place, making Lady Mamori and the guards cover their faces. There were sounds of shots, and ropes whipping, a howl and a resounding and annoying "YA-HA!"

"Aim fire!" one of the captains shouted, gaining composure as the smoke began to clear. Three soldiers helped Lady Mamori get out of the smoke, Captain Kazuki Juumonji, 1st Lt Kouji Kuroki, and 2nd Lt Shouzo Toganou.

"What the hell-" Captain Juumonji snarled.

"Does an aristocrat-" followed by Lt Kuroki.

"Doing here?" finalized by Lt Toganou.

"Huuuuuuuh???" they all said in unison.

"Stop! Don't shoot!" shouted Lady Mamori, "My brother! He's in that balloon! If you fire, you'll kill him!"

"But Lady Mamori, we are not sure if he-" one of the guards replied, but was cut off immediately by a howl of laughter.

It was that demon, Hiruma… and beside him, was a boy. Little Sena.

"Se…na…" Lady Mamori muttered, her eyes wide.

"You got it right, you fucking ambassador, your brother _is_ with us," Hiruma grinned like insane, "With that, you win a fucking prize! Kekekekeke!"

Something shot past Lady Mamori, although she was sure she was the only one who had noticed it. A rock, and a crumpled paper. She did not dare to move, not yet, as the captor might do something bad to her brother if she was going to do anything wrong. She glared at Hiruma like she had never done before, even more than she hated Commodore Agon even. She hated him for kidnapping her brother, and she hated herself for being unable to defend her brother.

"Halt! No one will shoot! An aristocrat is onboard that air balloon!" the captain shouted to the soldiers.

"SEEENNNNNNAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Lady Mamori shouted as the figure of her little brother was going, going… and gone. So was the demon beside her precious brother, and the hot air balloon that took him away from her.

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A/N 2: Yeshh… mobile phone. LOL. I know. But since this is my AU, let's pretend mobile phones existed. After all, there's a lot crazier stuff in One Piece after all. LOL.

A/N 3: Seriously, I can't write Mamori without Hiruma, and neither could I write Sena without Hiruma. _WHY CAN'T I GET A SINGLE IC RIGHT WHEN THEY'RE NOT WITH HIRUMA??? WWWHHHHYYYYYYYY??_ (headdesk)

A/N 4: WHOA. This must be one of the longest chapters I had done in the ES21 fandom. O.0 12 pages? (flails)

1. I actually got this line from an AFF named "**A Very Happy Elf**" (one of the _very_ few het ES21 AFFs). The original line was something like "yes, very intelligent". So no, it's not mine. It was just that funny that I remember it until now… it was the first AFF I've read since I became part of the ES21 fandom. XD

**Prediction, so not exactly a spoiler:** I bet that Mamori will come on the field wearing a Hiruma wig. LOL. LOL. LOL. LOL. XD Well, 264 is 2 weeks away… (le sigh)


	3. A Road Only She Will Take

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A/N: Ya! Only one week and some days before a new ES21 chappie! XD! I'm so excited! XD! (hopes for HiruMamo moments in the manga) And I know, unlike my other HiruMamo ES21 fanfictions, this fanfiction doesn't have a lot of reviews (and may suck a bit), but what the heck, I LOVE writing pirate!Hiruma! XD! (Pirate!Hiruma and Capt. Jack Sparrow FTW! XD!)

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**Chapter 3**

**A Road That Only She Will Take**

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The moonlight shone through the open window of the Lady's room, a single rock holding a note under it, the one attached to the rock just some hours ago, sat on top of the Lady's end table. Lady Mamori rolled to her side, facing the rock, with brows furrowed.

She had to do something.

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Little Sena's eyes wandered in the oddly spacious basket of the hot air balloon. He had always thought that there was a maximum number of one people per hot air balloon, and he never expected that three boys and a dog, with some odd looking boxes were going to fit in inside…

"Listen here, fucking shrimp," said Hiruma, taking Little Sena's attention. He flung the Mossberg out of their transport, Sena wanted to ask why he did so but didn't say anything, "Since you're from that goddamned nobility, we can't let you just run around without any fucking disguise."

"Eh?" Little Sena looked up at him with a look rival to that of the stupidest person in Deimon, "What do you mean, Hiruma-san?"

"Are you an idiot or what?" Hiruma raised a brow, aiming a gun at Little Sena's temples, "Your goddamned sister thinks that we've kidnapped your sorry ass in front of those plenty fucking useless soldiers."

"Well, Sena-kun," continued Kurita, "Since everyone pretty much knows of the Oujou Kingdom, surely, there will be a lot of people who'll help them-"

"For rewards," Hiruma butted in, "For sure."

"Well, yes, that too… so… what will be his pirate name, Hiruma?" asked Kurita.

"We don't even have a fucking idea what this fucking shrimp can do… but it has to coincide with his damned disguise."

Little Sena stared at them, "Pirate name? What's that? A nickname?"

"Uhm. Something like that," answered Kurita, "Do you happen to have one already?"

"… well… Mamori-neechan calls me… '_Little Sena_'," replied the boy.

Hiruma took out an AK-47 from a box inside the hot air balloon, "What kind of fucking kiddy nickname is that?"

"Hhiiiee?? B-but that's the only nickname I know…" he replied timidly, aware of the weapon that Hiruma had displayed. Kurita looked at Hiruma and asked, "Then what should we call him, Hiruma?"

"Che," Hiruma spat, "Listen up fucking brat, if you prove yourself fucking useless, you'll be a _powder monkey_ for all fucking eternity, got that? And I don't want to hear that damned fugly nickname of yours again."

Sena and Kurita paled. They both knew what a powder monkey was, and being one wasn't pleasant. At all.

"Eh… does that mean Hiruma-san and Kurita-san have their own nicknames?" asked Sena. Kurita nodded, "Yes, but… we can only tell our pirate names to our fellow shipmates."

"And since you goddamned kid aren't officially part of the Devil Bats, you have to prove yourself first," said Hiruma, grinning like mad. Sena gulped.

"H-how…?"

Hiruma's grin widened even more.

"Easy."

He whispered something in Sena's ear, causing the kid to look pale, and his jaws dropping to the floor. Kurita forced a smile although he obviously failed to do so, as he was a bad actor. Hiruma on the other hand looked extremely amused by the situation.

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There was no news about the uproar that the Devil Bats caused in the Jerry Pro Kingdom. The media was surprisingly quiet about it, and so were the King and his ensemble. Even if people asked what the explosions all about were, King Miracle only told them that it was for the Prince's debut movie; the soldiers who weren't of help during the siege were punished, although Lady Mamori requested that the punishments were to be lightened as the demon obviously had something up his sleeves against the soldiers. On the other hand, she also reprimanded the militia of their carelessness and the trouble that they caused.

The bigger concern, however, was the abduction of the Little Lord Sena. Never in the history of Kingdoms had been kidnappings inside the castle grounds.

The Duke, Lord Shouji, had travelled to Jerry Pro Kingdom as he was not the one who'd just sit and watch the developments of things related to him, his Kingdom, and most especially his family. Like the cover-up that happened with the ruckus that the Devil Bats made, the Jerry Pro Kingdom had taken steps in diverting the people's attention concerning the little prince's kidnapping. One of which was a concert by the Bando Spiders' Red-Eyed Ace, Hayato Akaba, and the number one singing idiot, Natsuhiko Taki.

Different Kingdoms had sent their ambassadors and representatives to the Jerry Pro's round table, some came from Shinryuji, Dokubari, Misaki, and Hashiratani. Kyoshin wasn't able to come for their Duke, Kobanzame, was attacked by a _Shyness Illness, _which is considered as an extremely rare disease. Interrogators came from these Kingdoms so that there would be no bias when the guards were being asked.

Many interrogators had asked questions to the guards and to the Lady with them when it happened, but all they were able to say were two words: _Devil Bats_. They mentioned the dog, the firearms, and the Lady's _flying_ brooms, much to the surprise of the interrogators, and much to Lady Mamori's embarrassment. The Kingdoms of Oujou and Jerry Pro had called for special meetings with the top people in Shinryuji, with Commodore Agon, Commodore Unsui and Sub lieutenant Ikkyu for their next step regarding the abduction. Dokubari was assigned for the intelligence, while Misaki and Hashiratani for information campaign.

Lady Mamori waited outside the meeting room, a paper crumpled on her hand.

"Are you sure that's the only thing you know, Lady Mamori?"

It was Commodore Agon.

"Is the meeting finished?" she asked politely, remembering that he was her soon-to-be husband. He walked past her as if he hadn't seen her. With a sharp intake of breath, Lady Mamori repeated her question, "_Is the meeting finished?_"

A snarl spread on Commodore Agon's face, "That's what I like so much about you, Lady Mamori… such a feisty lady." He scanned her being, Lady Mamori narrowed her eyes at him. The snarl still in his face, he said, "Those trashes kept on saying that you were talking with that slimy trash."

She took a deep breath, "Surely, Commodore, who are you talking about?"

"Don't fuck with me, Lady Mamori," Lady Mamori's eyes narrowed at the way he was talking to her, "That slimy trash, Hiruma."

"No wonder he had such a mouth," she glared at him, "Friend of yours, Commodore?"

"Friend? With _that_ _trash_?" He laughed cruelly. For some reason, Lady Mamori had the urge to slap him right across his face for laughing. He eyed her, "All I know is his retarded flashiness is just as disgusting as he is."

Lady Mamori wanted to shake her head and roll her eyes at his comment. She kept a straight face, "Unfortunately, Commodore, all I know about it I had already pointed out in the interrogation."

"I must have been sleeping, then," he eyed her with greedy eyes. His eyes darted to her hand and before Mamori could react, he already grabbed her hand and pushed her on the wall. Lady Mamori kept her hand closed as Commodore Agon tried to take the paper, "Why? Is there something interesting in this little piece of shit? Did that slimy trash gave it to you?"

"No… let me… go…" she struggled, trying to get away from him; he covered her mouth with his huge hand, forcibly silencing her. She bit him, hard, but it seemed like it was nothing to him at all. Lady Mamori could see a look of satisfaction in his brown eyes as he watched her fight back. She felt sickened by it.

Even to her greatest effort, Commodore Agon was too strong for her. To her dismay, the paper she was holding was snatched away by the bastard, on the other hand, he finally let go of her, and it seemed like the only reason why he did that was only to take that paper.

When he opened it, however, there were only a few words in it. Moreover, it was not about the abduction.

"_Father, I want to talk to you. – __Your Daughter, Mamori_"

"I wasted my time for _this_?" he sneered. Lady Mamori glared at him as she took back her note, "Jumping into conclusions will not be of your benefit, Commodore."

Commodore Agon stopped on his tracks and turned on her. It seemed like he was about to say something to her when the doors flew open. Lady Mamori felt incredible pressures choking her as the other members gathered inside the hall exited.

'_So it's true_,' she thought as she watched them with curiosity, '_They do have that kind of pressure…_' She glimpsed at Commodore Agon. Her stomach was churning and for some reason she felt sick. Sure that pirate Hiruma still held the number one spot in her hate list, but her soon-to-be husband seemed to be competing with the demonic pirate for that spot.

She almost forgot her real reason as to why she waited outside. Almost.

There weren't a lot of people leaving the Hall, but they were still talking to each other about their current plans and things like that. She excused herself as she passed by some of them, recognizing the other twin, Commodore Unsui, and Lt Ikkyu from Shinryuji, the Red-Eyed Ace, Akaba, and Sir Sasaki Kotarou from Bando, and Onihei from Hashiratani. Members of their own councils followed them, checking data and recording them. She turned her attention to the person she was anxious to meet since her little brother was kidnapped. She knew she no longer needed that note, so she put it away in her pocket.

"Your Majesty," she curtsied, taking her father's attention, "May I take this chance to speak with you?"

Duke Shouji nodded at Lord Takami's direction; the Chancellor led Sir Shin and the other knights to somewhere, probably their quarters. The Duke motioned for Lady Mamori to walk with him, and Lady Mamori was more than pleased to do so.

The father and child went to the Kingdom's porch garden, walking side by side. Duke Shouji continued to be silent, as though he was waiting for Lady Mamori's intentions; the princess however could not speak of her purpose, as she was a little… uneasy. But she knew she was going to do it sooner or later, so she took a deep breath.

"F-Father," she started. Her heart was beating abnormally faster than usual, but she ignored it, "I want to leave for a trip." The Duke raised a brow at her, as if he was waiting for an explanation. "I know I shouldn't… ask you of something like this in such critical time, however, I… cannot ignore my job."

She gulped.

"Continue, I am listening," said Duke Shouji. Lady Mamori took another deep breath.

"I'm an ambassador to the East, which we all know is infested with many pirate groups," she straightened her back, "It would be stupid for me to stop my trips to the East because of this… mishap with my brother."

"Don't you think you're safer here, inside the four walls of the castles?" asked Duke Shouji. Lady Mamori shook her head.

"My brother was taken inside the castle grounds, that I haven't forgotten,"

"Why should you risk it? I cannot allow you to do such a risky play," Lord Shouji replied, "Especially not because of your whim."

Lady Mamori's brows furrowed, "I am not doing this only because of my _whims_, father. I have an obligation that I have to fulfill."

"I cannot allow you to go. You will stay here until everything is resolved," her father answered severely. He then turned on his heels and left her furious.

"Have it you way then, father," she said, "but whether you won't let me go or not, I will definitely leave."

She didn't mind if she was going to be called such a stubborn person after this… oh, her father will definitely get mad at her! Okay, so she did mind, but… sometimes, she just had to break rules… to achieve her goal.

Hopefully, this wasn't a step in becoming an outlaw.

**-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-**

The hot air balloon had already landed, albeit a rocky one as there was an alarming change in the wind's speed and direction earlier. Sena was inside the basket, sleeping soundly, while Hiruma and Kurita were outside just beside the campfire.

"Won't we get caught, Hiruma?" asked Kurita as he took out a plastic of marshmallows, "The fire…"

"Kekeke," Hiruma cackled, "Of course not, fucking fat-ass. Do you think I haven't fucking thought of a plan?"

Kurita shook his head as he began to eat the marshmallows, Hiruma on the other hand, settled with sugarless gum. The gentle giant then asked, "Hiruma, you threw something to that lady ambassador, right?"

"Yeah, what about it?" he asked back.

"N-nothing… I was just wondering…" Kurita then gaped at Hiruma, "H-Hiruma?"

The demon was in full crazy grin mode. His ears twitching didn't help either.

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_'Fucking ambassador, your brother is with us. Whether he's goddamned kidnapped or not, it doesn't fucking matter. He's going to be our fucking powder monkey, whether you fuckin' like it or not. If you find us, then I might fucking reconsider. If you don't, it's fucking obvious what'll happen._

_You can't tell anyone about this, fucking ambassador, or your woobie noob of a fucking brother is dog food. YA-HA!'_

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A/N: Yay, the plot thickens. XD. ZOMFG. Wait, this fanfiction actually has a plot? LOL. And lo, don't ask me why he's given her that. I'm still thinking why. LOL.


	4. The Short Epilogue of the Beginning

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A/N: I'm sorry I took so long before I updated the fic. I have author's block and I couldn't use the PC at home.

Author Chat: **Minion**: Can I give an excuse? I usually type the fanfictions in the wee hours of the day and I have no beta. But I promise I'll try to make my grammar better. And no, I'm not mad. Thank you for reading. (hugs)

**devilcat07**: It's actually _powder monkey_, but I think I misspelled monkey to money. Sorry. NOTE: OMG. You were right. It was him. Thank you for reading. (Yay, 6 reviews!)

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**Chapter 4**

**The Short Epilogue of the Beginning**

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_Cringe. Cringe. Cringe._

Lady Mamori winced as she walked by the rose garden, seemingly alone.

It has been exactly three days and two nights since she decided that she would set out and find her beloved brother, whether her father likes it or not. However, it has also been exactly three days, two nights, 6 hours, 7 minutes and 43 seconds (and counting) since soldiers followed her around, much to her not-so-obvious annoyance. It was not a good feeling, being watched all the time.

She stopped to admire the red roses in full bloom. It was autumn, and yet, these flowers… Jerry Pro Kingdom sure has many weird plants growing everywhere.

There was a rustle of bushes as she continued her walk in the garden; she was careful not to look back. She could not let them know that she _knows_, or her father would most definitely use a new method of surveillance to check on her and her activities. With that, she was not exactly sure what's most irritating, her not being able to protect Little Sena, her not being able to do her duties as ambassador, her father having her under surveillance, soldiers following her around, getting married to that horrible Commodore, or that _annoying_, and _irritating_ Hiruma of the Devil Bats.

Now _how_ did that irritating, obnoxious, and rude pirate get there! Ugh. Of course, she hated him… with passion! In fact, he had just topped Lady Mamori's list! Without competition!

However, for some odd reason, despite her outbursts of hate and loathing for the man, Lady Mamori's… her brows furrowed. Of course, it did not! It could not! She would not allow such…!

It's official there's definitely _SOMETHING_ wrong with her.

Lady Mamori shook her head lightly, as she tried to push off another thought regarding that horrible pirate. There were a lot more things much more pressing than… that. Whatever it was. It was already one thing to be aware of her father's determination not to let her slip, and so was the fact that because of what happened to her younger brother, the security of the castle grounds doubled, if not tripled. She definitely could not fail, as she would be forced to account about the letter.

Lady Mamori sighed. She pulled back a stray strand of hair and continued to walk. She raised a brow. She just realized that for every step she made, she would hear _three_ footsteps. She tried to walk faster, the three footsteps also became faster. Three… three…

Bingo.

Usually, there were only a pair of buddies, not a trio. Known for their spontaneously simultaneous "Huh", three soldiers were given the nickname "Huh-Kyoudai". Where the name originated, she had no idea whatsoever.

Lady Mamori sighed. Two of them were not a problem, if she was going to slip past them. The problem lied with the "oldest", Captain Kazuki Juumonji. Talking about sensibility and ability, he was obviously worthy of the rank "Captain"; if intellect, he was known to be the best in their batch, despite his usual slacking and drinking. Not that it was nice though.

She walked back inside the castle, her eyes looking left and right. She needed one more day. One more day.

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Four downs, three paces east, a mile radius from the tallest tower, and an overwhelming number of guards and soldiers around the castle. It seemed like she had no way of getting out without consent from her father. Unless she'd do what she would rather not, conspire with the soldiers, which would be really _impossible_. It would be as if she'd marry that horrible pirate Hiruma. Impossible!

Besides, even if she did, Captain Juumonji, Lt Kuroki and Toganou had no reason to agree with her. That would be as if her little Sena would become a pirate… because he wanted to! Completely irrational!

'_Enough of that incredulous pirate thing_,' Lady Mamori thought, shaking her head.

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Three soldiers stopped walking as their "target" entered her personal room. There were three places that they were forbidden to follow her: her room, the wash room, and the bath, much to their dismay. They heard that the Princess had quite a figure. Not that they were pervy, it was not their line… let's just say that they're perfectly normal hot-blooded men.

"Hey, what do you think, Kazu?" asked Lt Kuroki, as they huddled in a corner. He took out a cancer stick and lit it.

"Idiot, don't smoke in here. Do you want to lose another job?" reprimanded Capt Juumonji as he grabbed the stick.

Lt Toganou replied, "But Kazu, we've been serving for almost a year here already. Aren't we free from that fucking sentence?"

"Yeah. It has been more than a year since the judgment was brought by the court marshal," added Lt Kuroki, "We should be free by now… besides, they did say,"

"That after this punishment… we…" Lt Toganou grit his teeth, "… we're discharged from service."

Capt Juumonji frowned. Of course, he knew it. That was why he was not complaining when none of the upper ecclesiastic had protested when they escorted them to the castle. It was not something he was glad about though, as the clergy treated them worse than shit.

"Assholes as they are, as long as we're in the castle, we just couldn't break free that easily," said the captain, "After all, we don't have anywhere to go back to."

The two lieutenants looked at the captain, all with grave looks etched on their faces.

Unknown to them, the person they followed around, was eavesdropping at their conversation.

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"Hiiieeeeeeeeeeeee!" Sena whimpered as a bull ran after him. It was an accident as Sena went looking for seemingly edible mushrooms; he stepped on an odd-looking "twig", not knowing that it was the bull's tail.

'_Wait. Do bulls live in the forest_' Sena thought, as he ran as fast as he could.

Unknown to him, the devil and his cahoots were watching him from behind the bushes. Hiruma's ears twitched in glee as he grinned, Kurita on the other hand looked worried.

"Kekeke!" Hiruma cackled, "He'd be a powder monkey!"

"B-but Hiruma, couldn't Sena-kun be a cabin boy instead?" asked Kurita.

"You fucking fatty! Everyone's a goddamned fucking powder monkey before getting a damned higher fucking rank!" Hiruma bared his toothy grin, firing a whole magazine on Kurita's belly… and with an unbelievable body, the bullets didn't seem to pierce through Kurita's skin. Or it could be the bullet. Whatever.

"B-but…"

"No buts, fucking fatty. We're not gonna make a fucking exemption just because he's a goddamned aristocrat," Hiruma replied with finality in his voice, "I've decided for his fucking moniker too."

"Really?" asked Kurita.

Hiruma smirked, "With those fucking legs, he'll be known as Eyeshield 21, the most ferocious pirate across the fucking seven seas!"

"Wow… do you think he'll agree?"

Hiruma let out a howl of cackles, "Kekeke, he's gonna take it whether he likes it or he likes it!"

"O-okay," Kurita then suddenly remembered something, "Oh, yeah, Hiruma, what did you tell him earlier?"

"Kekekeke!" Hiruma laughed, "Find the fucking Tokyo Seat for the Kantou Tournament."

"EHHH????!!!!" Kurita gaped at the evil captain, "Hiruma, that's _impossible_! It's being kept by the wizard of _Tori__Sukeito_!"

Hiruma grinned, "There's no such thing as impossible, fucking fatty."

Kurita gulped.

So that's where they were going to go next.

To Tori Sukeito!

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"What?! Lady Mamori is missing?!" King Miracle stood up immediately, "H-how could that be?! Wasn't she being watched and followed?!"

Prince Sakuraba looked horrified. Could it be that his sister has been kidnapped too?

"Yes, sir. But we just found out this morning," one of the higher ranks said, "That the three soldiers has been missing since last night, Your Majesty."

King Miracle's jaws dropped to the floor, "CONSPIRACY! A CONSPIRACY AGAINST MY KIIIINGGGGDDDOOOOMMMMM! CALL THE DUKE OF OUJOU IMMEDIATELY!"

As people in the castle panicked at the disappearance of the Lady and the three soldiers, Prince Sakuraba remained silent. It was just a gut feeling, but… his sister might've taken things on her own hands and took the three soldiers with her.

The thing was, he didn't know whether she knew that the three were going to be executed for conspiring with pirates. He just hoped that she knew what she was doing. He took in a deep breath. Maybe… it was time for him to be a knight once more…

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On board an almost wrecked-looking ship, wearing peasant clothes, Lady Mamori watched the port as the ship was almost more than a kilometer away from it. It looked very much like a painting.

"Excuse us, Lady Mamori," she looked back. It was Huh-Kyoudai.

"You can call me Mamori now, you know…" she replied. Juumonji, Kuroki and Toganou looked at each other with surprised expressions. Mamori smiled, "Mou, it's fine. We're in a disguise, and you calling me "Lady Mamori" would blow our cover, right?"

"B-but… well, it's…" Kuroki scratched the back of his head.

"Kind of weird," continued Toganou. Juumonji looked rather solemn.

"Well, I'm sorry… it's my fault that you have to leave," she said, "But… I overheard your talk yesterday, and… well, it's a sad thing though, not having somewhere to go back to…"

"That's life, Lady," replied Juumonji.

"Yeah, that's life," said Kuroki.

"Uhm, that's life," continued Toganou.

"We heard you were planning to follow your brother," said Juumonji. Mamori nodded. Juumonji looked at Kuroki and Toganou, "Well, since we owe you this freedom,"

"It's not really freedom, you know," she said.

"It is, for us," said Kuroki, "It's really irritating there."

"Really irritating and annoying, actually," Toganou corrected Kuroki.

"Yeah, that," said Juumonji, "Since we have nowhere to go, we'll go with you."

"Eh?" Mamori gaped at them, "B-but you don't have to!"

"Well, could you kick ass like us?" asked Kuroki.

Toganou said, "Yeah? Could you win against thugs all by yourself?"

"No extra charge, Lady Mamori," said Juumonji, "Besides, we know a lot more about the seas than you do."

"Eh? What… do you mean?" asked Mamori.

"You'll know," said Kuroki.

"Yeah, you'll know," nodded Toganou.

Mamori gave them a rather worried look… although she didn't say that it was mostly because she was wondering why they were repeating each other's lines. But… she was glad that she was not alone in this journey anymore.

After all, she had to look for the Devil Bats, one of the most slippery pirates in the history of piracy.

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A/N Part 2: Okay, so it's not on par with my other fics, but I really want to make an AU ES21 fanfiction. :) XD. XD. XD. And no, I'm not updated with ES21, and I doubt I will be on the next few weeks as I have no internet connection at home. (le sigh) Anyway, if anyone knows LiveJournal, there's a community dedicated for HiruMamo. :)

A/N Part 3: ZOMFG. Go to youtube and look for the HiruMamo AMV named "Something there". LOL. There's a lot of real nice AMVs in youtube. LOL. (Beauty and the Beast! XD!)

A/N Part 4: For those who wonder about what powder monkey meant, from a "pirate" site that I looked for in the net, it's "a British naval term used to describe the young boys who made up the gun crews." Many of them "were probably young lads no more than eleven to thirteen years old. They mainly assisted the gun crews and learned most of the ships basics but were paid little (if anything), treated poorly (cough), and were expendable. Cabin boy errand boy gofer, or something like that.


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